County To Discuss Proposed Sheriff's Budget, Fire Taxes

TAVARES — County commissioners are scheduled to discuss the sheriff's office budget and ways of reducing fire taxes on large commercial buildings this morning.

Owners of commercial buildings larger than 100,000 square feet have complained that a tax of 6 cents a foot is too high, said Chuck Sowers, fire coordinator. The 6 cents that commercial building owners are taxed under the current plan mounts up for the county's half a dozen largest buildings, he said. Golden Gem Growers Inc. in Umatilla, with about 600,000 square feet, would be billed $40,000 in fire taxes based on the current property appraisal, he said.

Sowers plans to suggest a sliding scale of fees that would decrease after a certain building size. An alternative suggestion is a $10,000 ceiling on fire taxes for any building.

Residents approved the fire tax in March 1984. It will provide funding for 22 small fire departments around the county.

Sheriff Noel E. Griffin Jr. is presenting the commissioners with an amended budget asking for an increase of $841,000 over last year's funding. That includes a 5 percent raise for all law enforcement officials -- the same raise proposed for other county employees. He is also suggesting that county correctional officers receive the first of three annual raises that will make their salaries equal to that of deputies.

Four more correctional officers would be hired under the sheriff's proposed budget. He had initially requested four more deputies and four clerks as well. After going over the plan with County Commissioner Jim Carson, the liaison between the sheriff's department and the commission, the proposed budget was pared down.

The total proposed budget for county law enforcement is about $5.7 million. The current budget is about $4.93 million.

A public hearing on the county budget, including the law enforcement portion, is scheduled for Sept. 10. The new budget begins Oct. 1.